The Witching Snakes pt 10

Agatha and Paul talk about ex-lovers and failed romance. Also Othello.

Read Part 9

“Agatha?” said Paul.

“Who is Dassie?”

“What?” said Paul.

“Dassie! Dassie! You wrote to her!”

Agatha shoved the paper into Paul's hand. The first sentence was “I don't plan on writing you again. I truly hope you're right and that limiting our interaction to Sunday will work.” Paul hadn't read the letter in years. He saw self-regard, lies and manipulation. He even ended the letter with "I need a small token to keep from feeling like the world hates me."

What the fuck was that about? If Paul had ever received a letter like that, he'd consider a restraining order.

The last time he saw Dassie, she was talking about buying a house with a pool. She said a few racist things about Paul's neighborhood, openly wished that there wasn't so much violence in the media and expressed hope to meet him for coffee when he was free.

“Who is she?” said Agatha.

“She is no one.”

Agatha started crying. He stepped over his ransacked drawers; held her and whispered love. He wanted to tell her that Dassie had died. Unfortunately, Dassie was alive. Still bulimic. Libertarian. Boring.

“You wrote like you loved her.”

“I thought I did,” said Paul. He remembered the feeling. He couldn't remember the intensity. He wrote too many letters and spent his weekends wanting to call her, wishing she would call him.